Managing under-filled spot blocks

ABSTRACT

A media automation system can provide a common program to multiple different servers, for example a terrestrial broadcast radio server and a streaming radio server. Each of the different servers can receive different content blocks to be inserted during breaks in the common program. Media items from existing content blocks can be removed, and different items inserted. If a content block is under-filled, media items can be inserted without removing existing media items. When items are removed or added to a content block, the removal can be reported to a traffic and billing system for appropriate action. Content blocks can be customized by removing or inserting items based on information obtained from a cloud-based application, or some other source.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/624,252, filed on Nov. 23, 2009, entitled “ManagingUnder-Filled Spot Blocks,” which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to scheduling blocks of mediacontent, and more particularly to managing under-filled content blocks.

BACKGROUND

Media items in a broadcast schedule, for example music, talk,promotions, advertisements, and the like, are often broadcast in agroup, or “content block.” These content blocks may be scheduled duringbreaks between programming that is being broadcast to multiple differentmedia outlets or stations. For example, a nationally syndicated programmay be broadcast on various different local stations, in addition tobeing streamed over the Internet. In such cases, it can be desirable tohave different media items played to different audiences during breaksin the nationally syndicated program. Different media items can beinserted into different content blocks played during the same block oftime, so that a content block broadcast over the air to a radio audiencemay include different media items than a content block streamed to anInternet audience, even though the remainder of the content beingbroadcast is the same.

Situations can arise in which a broadcast content block needs to bemodified. For example, one or more media items in a content blockfollowing a program segment may need to be removed, or “bumped.”

SUMMARY

Media items removed, or “bumped” from earlier content blocks can be, insome cases, almost immediately rescheduled for inclusion in suitable,later scheduled content blocks. At least some embodiments of the presentdisclosure provide for a rules-based process for handling under-filledcontent blocks that can be implemented with little or no humanintervention, thereby allowing quick placement of bumped media itemsinto under-filled content blocks. In various embodiments, such a processcan be implemented to enable near-real-time filling of a missing orunder-filled content block to enhance realization of revenue fromrevenue generating content blocks.

A method for use in a media automation system includes receiving amessage identifying media items available for insertion in anunder-filled content block and responding to the message by: 1)selecting at least one media item of the plurality of media itemsavailable for insertion in the under-filled content block; 2) andtransmitting a signal identifying the at least one media item selectedby the media automation system for inclusion in the under-filled contentblock.

In some embodiments, the message identifying media items is produced inresponse to a cloud-based application sending a request for availablemedia items. The cloud-based application can also send otherinformation, for example media consumer (e.g. listener) preferences, tothe media automation system, which uses the information from thecloud-based application to deliver personalized content blocks to a userof the cloud based application.

The media automation system can also remove media items already includedin existing content blocks, and substitute better media items in thecontent block, where a “better” media item can be, for example, a morerecent or more accurately targeted media item. Thus for example, anupdated item of perishable content, for example a news story or trafficreport, can be considered to be “better” than an outdated version ofthat same news story or traffic report. A notification can be providedto a media traffic system identifying removed and added media items orother content.

In various implementations, messages received or delivered by variousparts of a media automation system can include commercial content,non-commercial content, and in some instances non-commercial contentthat is associated with commercial content by the automation system.Various requests can also specify whether non-commercial contentassociated with commercial content should also be provided in responseto a request for commercial content.

The media automation system can include a traffic and billing system, adatabase server that selects media items for inclusion in contentblocks, and multiple audio servers that receive a common media program.The different servers, although receiving the same media program, canreceive different blocks of content to be inserted into the common mediaprogram. In at least one embodiment, both audio servers are under commoncontrol, while in other embodiments, one audio server operates undercontrol of the other audio server.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of this disclosure will become apparent upon reading thefollowing detailed description and upon reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for use in a mediaautomation system according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for use in a media trafficsystem according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a high level block diagram of a processing system according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosuredepicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are presented insufficient detail to clearly communicate the disclosure to one ofordinary skill in the art. However, the amount of detail offered is notintended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on thecontrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a system 100 according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure will be discussed. System 100 includes mediaautomation system 110, which can be used to control and automate variousmedia broadcast functions; and traffic and billing system 120, which isused to provide control for various traffic and billing functions suchas entering and editing orders, and scheduling media items. System 100also includes streaming broadcast chain 160, through which a streamingbroadcast of media content can be provided to mobile device 162 andcloud-based applications 163 via a network such as Internet 161; on airbroadcast chain 150, through which media content can be broadcast via abroadcast tower 151, and various media sources such as an individualsource media 142, bulk media storage 141, programming from anothermarket and received via network 140, and programming broadcast viasatellite 131, which can be received via satellite receiver 130.

In some embodiments mobile device 162 or a cloud-based application 163,for example iHeart® radio, can interact with other elements of system100 to obtain listener information, such as category preferences,locations, preferred media items, demographics information, explicitfeedback regarding perishable (e.g. news, weather, and traffic) andnon-perishable media items (e.g. songs, radio personalities, stationidentifiers and advertisements) delivered in content blocks. Thisinformation can be delivered, for example to database server 113 oranother element of system 100, via a connection to Internet 161 thateither includes streaming broadcast chain 160 and streaming audio server111, or via a connection that bypasses one or both of streamingbroadcast chain 160 and streaming audio server 111. The listenerinformation can be used by database server 113, production machine 116,control room machine 115, utility machine 114, traffic and billingsystem 120, or by a content targeting system (not illustrated) to assistin selecting media to be provided in content blocks delivered to eitheror both streaming broadcast chain 160 or on air broadcast chain 150.

In other embodiments, cloud based application 163 can perform some orall of the functions performed by Database server 113, traffic andbilling system 120, or other elements of system 110. For example,various requests and responses related to content block information 119can be transmitted or received by cloud based application 163. In someembodiments, parts of the functionality of database server 113 relatedto streaming audio server 111, for example identifying under-filledcontent blocks and requesting media items for insertion in anunder-filled content block can be performed instead by cloud basedapplication 163.

Media automation system 110 includes production machine 116, whichreceives media content from network 140, bulk storage 141, individualsource media 142; control room machine 115, and utility machine 114,each of which is connected to database server 113. Media automationsystem 110 also includes Over-Air audio server 112, which provides mediacontent to on air broadcast chain 150; and streaming audio server 111,which provides audio content to streaming broadcast chain 160. Databaseserver 113 can provide content to one or both of over-air audio server112 and streaming audio server 111. In at least one embodiment, one ormore of the illustrated servers can be implemented as virtual serversimplemented on the same hardware as another of the illustrated servers.Furthermore, various distributed processing techniques can be used tospread functionality of one or more of the illustrated servers acrossmultiple different machines.

In various embodiments, primary programming provided by streaming audioserver 111 to streaming broadcast chain 116 is the same primaryprogramming provided by over-air audio server 112 to on air broadcastchain 150. In many instances, however, particular media items includedin the various content blocks provided to on air broadcast chain 150 andstreaming broadcast chain 160 can vary, even though the length andtiming of the content blocks themselves are generally consistent witheach other. This variance can be a result of media consumer preferences,e.g. listener and viewer preferences; sponsor preferences; mediaavailability; costs associated with providing the media, e.g. royaltyfees and commissions; media distribution requirements imposed bycopyright holders; or the like.

In some embodiments, media automation system 110 can be, for example, aradio automation system used to control media content broadcast viamultiple different radio stations in a single market, with some or allsystem elements and subsystems co-located in a single physical facility.In other embodiments, media automation system 110 can be a radioautomation system used to provide control of radio stations in differentmarkets, in different locations, or via different distribution channels.In an illustrated embodiment, media automation system 110 is used tocontrol media broadcast over the air via on-air broadcast chain 150 andbroadcast tower 151, and streaming media provided to the Internet 161via streaming broadcast chain 160.

In some embodiments, streaming broadcast chain 160 works in conjunctionwith a cloud-based application 163 to deliver individually or grouppersonalized content blocks to various media consumers. In someembodiments, content provided by streaming broadcast chain 160 can bedelivered to cloud-based application 163 prior to being delivered toInternet 161 or mobile device 162. Broadcast stations and delivery mediain addition to those illustrated in FIG. 1 can also be controlled bymedia automation system 110. It should be appreciated that mediaautomation system 110 can also be used with television and other typesof media that may broadcast programming via multiple different stationsor outlets.

Media automation system 110 can obtain media to be broadcast fromvarious sources. For example, production machine 116 can obtaininformation from broadcasts in other markets via network 140. Productionmachine 116 can also obtain media from database 141, which may be adatabase local to production machine 116, or local to another server ormachine that is part of media automation system 110. In otherembodiments database 141 can be maintained by a third-party mediaprovider, which can be remote from media automation system 110.Production machine 116 can also obtain media to be broadcast fromindividual media sources, such individual source media 142, which mayinclude any of various non-volatile media storage elements, includingbut not limited to optical disks, e.g. compact discs (CDs), digitalvideo disks (DVDs), various types of magnetic and electromagneticstorage media, or the like.

Production machine 116 can provide some or all of the media to bebroadcast to database server 113. In addition to the media provided todatabase server 113 from production machine 116, satellite receiver 130can also provide satellite content to be inserted into a broadcast viaover-air audio server 112 and streaming audio server 111. Databaseserver 113 can also receive media or other content to be broadcast fromcontrol room machine 115. Control room machine 115 may include a studioin which a live broadcast is being generated, such as a talk show orother similar live program, but control room machine 115 can alsoprovide media to database server 113 other than live media.

Additionally, control room machine 115 can provide database server 113with various control functions, and in some cases an operator canmanually add or remove media items, programming, and other content thatdatabase server 113 has previously slotted for broadcast. Thus, forexample, an operator in control room machine 115 may determine that apreviously scheduled media item in a particular content block is not tobe broadcast for any of various reasons. Upon making that determination,control room machine 115 can be used to send a signal to database server113. In response to the signal, database server 113 can remove the mediaitem from its previously scheduled content block. In some embodiments,the removed, or “bumped” media item by is not delivered to over-airaudio server 112 for on air broadcast, nor is it delivered to streamingaudio server 111 for streaming broadcast.

Traffic and billing system 120 is, in some embodiments, connected todatabase server 113 via a utility machine 114. In other embodiments,traffic and billing system may be connected to database server 113through other machines, for example a control room machine 115,production machine 116, or directly connected to database server 113. Inother embodiments, traffic and billing system 120 and database server113 can be included in a single machine or in a collection of machinesthat are co-located or connected in a distributed fashion. In any event,traffic and billing system 120 can communicate content block information119 to database server 113 and database server 113 can likewisecommunicate content block information 119 back to traffic and billingsystem 120.

In various embodiments, content block information 119 can includerequests for identification of potential media items available forinclusion in an under-filled content block, responses to such requests,bumped media item notifications, broadcast logs and lists, media itemfiles, parameters related to available, unavailable, and potential mediaitems, content block parameters, ranks, conditional information, variousstatus information related to media items, and the like.

Content block information 119 can also include requests for commercialcontent, such as advertisements, and audio content associated with thecommercial content. For example, it may be desirable to broadcast anadvertisement between two other media items associated with theadvertisement based on media consumer preferences, sponsor requirements,or using some other criteria. A request for content block information119 can include a request for both the advertisement and the associatedmedia items to be broadcast before and after the advertisement. Notethat in some embodiments, the media items associated with theadvertisement can be different for content blocks provided to differentmedia consumers. Consider, for example, two iHeart® radio listeners, oneof which is an older man and one a younger woman. A hip-hop song popularwith women under 25 can be associated with a travel advertisementincluded in a content block provided to the younger woman, while aclassic rock song popular with men over the age of 50 can be associatedwith the same advertisement included in the content block provided tothe older man.

In general, traffic and billing system 120 can be used to providecontrol and monitoring of the sale and scheduling of media items, and todetermine which media items are to be played on which stations atparticular times. This information can be provided in the form of a logfile in some embodiments. Media automation system 110 can use databaseserver 113 to gather programming and media information from varioussources, and combine that information with content block information 119to generate a log file indicating a substantially completerepresentation of which media and media items are to be broadcast. Thelog file and related information can be provided to both over-air audioserver 112 and streaming audio server 111 for broadcast over theirrespective chains.

For example, programming provided from a satellite feed received throughsatellite receiver 130 will generally have breaks in its programming.The beginning and end of these breaks can be identified by dual-tonemulti-frequency (DTMF) tones provided with the programming, ordetermined through various other means. Content block information 119,can include the identity of various media items that are available to beplayed on particular stations during particular times, the priority ofthe media items in relationship to each other, and other similarinformation, which can be used to schedule media items into appropriatebreaks in the programming.

In some instances, media items played over streaming broadcast chain 160can be different than media items played over on-air broadcast chain150, even though the programming and the breaks between variousprogramming and media items are the same. Thus, a first content block tobe broadcast over on-air broadcast chain 150 by over-air audio server112 may include three media items to be played from 10:00 AM to 10:03 AMon a particular date. A second content block to be broadcast overstreaming broadcast chain 160 may include two of the same media itemsincluded in the first content block, with the third media item reservedfor media targeted to an Internet audience.

Due to various circumstances, one or more media items, and in some casesentire content blocks, may be removed from a particular block. Controlroom machine 115 can be used to notify database server 113 if aparticular media item, or content block, is to be the removed, if itemsare deemed not valid for airplay based on metadata entered by stationstaff or other individual, if an item is removed because it is missingaudio, if an item is automatically skipped for administrative purposes,or otherwise. In some embodiments, such notification takes the form of abumped-media item signal.

Because media broadcast stations can derive revenue from broadcastingcertain media items, any media items removed should be later reinsertedinto the media stream if possible, so that revenue for that media itemsis not lost. But because different media items can be included incorresponding content blocks on different stations, or on the samestation being broadcast over different chains, reinserting bumped mediaitems can require a close coordination between the media automationsystem and the media traffic system. Some media items, whether paid ornot, may have a higher priority than other similar media items, and aregenerally referred to herein as “priority media items.” In some cases itis desirable to reinsert priority media items that have been removedfrom the media stream.

Close coordination and reporting can also be important to make sure thatvarious scheduling and marketing parameters associated with reinsertedpriority media items are satisfied. In at least one embodiment, trafficand billing system 120 can maintain information regarding scheduledmedia items that should be played either at certain times of day, oncertain days of the week, media items that should be played inconjunction with various other media items, media items having priorityover other media items with the same or similar parameters, or mediaitems whose placement in a content block or is otherwise constrained.

In some instances, particularly with regards to a streaming broadcastchain 160 provided through streaming audio server 111, some of thecontent blocks scheduled for play later in the day, may be under-filled,meaning that a sufficient number of media items have not yet beenscheduled to fill the time allotted for a break between, or within,various different media programs. In some cases, if priority mediaitems, e.g. paid advertisements, meeting the requirements of aparticular under-filled content block are not available, mediaautomation system 110 will insert unpaid or lower priority filler, e.g.a public service announcement, into the available space. However, if oneor more of the previously bumped priority media items meet the criterianecessary for being broadcast in the under-filled content block, thosepriority media items can be inserted into the under-filled content blockto allow media automation system 110 to recover revenue that mayotherwise have been lost.

To make these previously bumped media items available for inclusion inunder-filled content blocks, database server 113 can provide informationto traffic and billing system 120 related to media items that have beenremoved. Traffic and billing system 120 can collect and storeinformation about bumped media items that may be available for futureinclusion in under-filled content blocks. Over-Air audio server 112 orstreaming audio server 111 can notify database server 113 ofunder-filled content blocks, and request database server 113 to providecontent to be included in those under-filled content blocks. Databaseserver 113 can, in turn, request traffic and billing system 120 tosearch through its collection of available priority media items toidentify potential media items that are available for inclusion in theunder-filled content block. Traffic and billing system 120 can returnthe requested information to database server 113, which will in someembodiments select which of the potential media items to be included inthe under-filled content block. Database server 113 can provide themedia item to the appropriate server for broadcast, and send a messageback to traffic and billing system 120 indicating which of the potentialmedia items were chosen for inclusion in the under-filled content block.Traffic and billing system 120 can then update its list of availablemedia items to indicate that a selected media item has already beenrescheduled for broadcast in the under-filled content block.

In some embodiments, filling under-filled content blocks is performedautomatically, and on a time scale that can be impractical if humanintervention or decision making is required. Thus, for example, anunder-filled content block in the following minutes can be filled with amedia item bumped during the previous minutes. In some cases, a bumpedmedia item can be placed in the next content block playing on the samestation if, for example, the next content block includes unpaid filler,lower priority media items, or under other circumstances as desired.

It will be appreciated that various systems can be used to implement theteachings set forth herein, and are not limited to the systems discussedwith reference to FIG. 1. For example, although at least one embodimentincludes separate traffic and billing systems, similar functionality canbe provided using a single, integrated or system having one or morelocal or distributed processing, storage and communication elements. Insome embodiments, system 100 can be implemented as a centralized systemfor reporting and rules-based media placement, which implements mediaplacement instructions using a centralized inventory of commercial spotsand media items that can be used to fill open avails. Thus, althoughembodiments including automation and traffic systems are primarilydiscussed herein, other embodiments can be implemented without the needfor cooperation between separate automation and traffic systems.

Referring next to FIG. 2, a method 200 for use in a media automationsystem according to various embodiments of the present disclosure isdiscussed. As illustrated by block 205, media automation system 110receives content from various sources, which can include media items andprogramming, paid and unpaid media items, live content, or other contentto be broadcast via any of various distribution channels. In someembodiments, media automation system 110 proves a centralized pool ofcommercial spots and media content, from which media items can beselected to fill open spots in content blocks. As illustrated by block207, media automation system may make changes to content blocks as aresult of manual or automated input from any of various sources,including media consumer and sponsor preferences or requirements. Thesechanges can include removal or addition of one or more media items fromone or more content blocks, or removal/addition of an entire contentblock.

As illustrated by block 209, a media automation system can notify thetraffic and billing system of changes that were made to the contentblocks. In at least one embodiment, both paid and unpaid media itemsbumped by the media automation system are reported to the traffic andbilling system using a bumped-media item signal, while in otherembodiments only paid media items are reported. In some embodiments, aperformance of media items and content blocks can be reported back tothe traffic and billing system, or another subsystem of system 100, byan independent or integrated performance measurement and reportingsystem. The traffic and billing system can keep track of any bumpedmedia items by flagging or otherwise marking the media items to indicatetheir availability for inclusion in other content blocks. Othercircumstances in which a bumped-media item signal may be sent to thetraffic and billing system include, but are not limited to, items beingdeemed not valid for airplay based on metadata entered by station staffor another individual, an item being removed because of missing audio,and cases where items are automatically skipped for administrativepurposes.

As illustrated by block 211, the media automation system can determinewhether there are any under-filled content blocks that might requireadditional priority media items to fill them. The determination can bemade by a subsystem of the media automation system, or by an externalsystem that reports information to the media automation system. Thus forexample a streaming audio server, which may be of the same mediaautomation system as a database server, can notify the database serverthat additional media items are required to fill currently under-filledcontent blocks. In other embodiments, a system not under control of themedia automation system can send a message to the media automationsystem notifying the system that additional media items can beaccommodated. In addition to providing notification that additionalmedia items can be accommodated, the message may contain listener datarelated to a particular media consumer or group of media consumers. Thelistener data can include information that allows the media automationsystem to provide better targeting of media items, such as music,advertisements, and other perishable and non-perishable content, so thatthe media included in a content block better represents the preferencesor other personalization for the media consumer or group of mediaconsumers.

As illustrated by block 213 media automation system can request prioritymedia items from a traffic or traffic and billing system for inclusionin one or more under-filled content blocks. In some embodiments, therequest for priority media items can also include various parameters anacceptable media item must meet for inclusion in the content block inquestion. Thus, for example, a request for additional priority mediaitems for an under-filled content block may indicate a start and a stoptime of the content block, a station identifier, a date on which thecontent block is to air, the length of the content block to be filled,and a content block identifier. Other content block parameters can beprovided in conjunction with, or as part of, the request sent from theautomation system to the traffic system if desired. An example ofparameters that may be provided in conjunction with the request forpriority media items include various requirements for types of contentblock content, including, an industry associated with the content block,media items that may be required or prohibited to be played in aparticular content block, or the like.

In various embodiments, parameters and preferences received from mediaconsumers using a cloud based application such as iHeart® radio can beused to assist in establishing the priority of a media item. In somesuch embodiments, the closer a media item matches a media consumer'sprofile, demographics and preferences, the higher the priority assignedto a media item. Consequently, the closer a media item matches a mediaconsumer's preferences, the more likely that media item is to beincluded in a content block provided to that media consumer.

The request illustrated by block 213 can also include requests for mediacontent associated with a specific media item to be included in acontent block. The request can identify a particular media item andgenerally request, “at least one media item associated with theparticular media item,” or the request can specifically identify theassociated media items requests. For example, a request for associatedmedia items can identify a specific media item predicted to be preferredby a particular listener, or request any song currently meeting athreshold rank (e.g. top 10) for a targeted group of listeners.

As illustrated at block 215, the media automation system can receive alog, list, or other indication of potential media items available forinclusion in a particular content block from the traffic and billingsystem. In some such embodiments, the media items are pre-ranked by thetraffic and billing system, based on a media item rate, a campaignidentifier or another suitable parameter. In other embodiments,information useful in ranking the particular media items is provided tothe media automation system from the traffic and billing system so thatthe media automation system itself can rank the media items if desired.

As illustrated by block 217, the media automation system can choosemedia items to include in particular content blocks based on a mediaitem's rank, with media items having a higher rank being selected forinclusion in favor of media items having a lower rank A media item'srank may be based on its rate, which can facilitate selection of mediaitems providing greater revenue. In other embodiments, selecting mediaitems based on rank can allow preferred media items to be selected basedon a campaign with which the media item is associated, or otherwise.

As illustrated by block 219, the media automation system can notify thetraffic and billing system regarding which media items the mediaautomation system has selected for inclusion in particular contentblocks using a consumed-media item signal. In some embodiments,information regarding the content block for which a media item wasselected for placement is included in a message to the traffic andbilling system. In other embodiments, the traffic and billing system isnotified of the fact of selection without reference to a particularcontent block. Various combinations of information can be sent from theautomation system to the traffic system in the consumed-media itemsignal to achieve various goals consistent with the teaching set forthherein.

As illustrated by block 221, a media automation system inserts theselected media items into the under-filled content blocks and preparesto deliver the content block to the audio servers. As illustrated byblock 225, in some embodiments a final check can be made to determinewhether or not the selected media items included in a content block arestill the best available media items. If better media items areavailable, the content block can be modified, as illustrated by block227, prior to the content block being delivered to the media servers asillustrated by block 223. The determination of whether there a mediaitem is better can be made based on media consumer demographics, sponsorrequirements, changed circumstances, or the like. For example, if thecontent block originally included a news story about a sporting event,but an updated news story was received after the original news story wasselected for inclusion in the content block, the newly updated newsstory can be substituted for the original news story. Likewise, if aconsumer updated his preferences between the time media items wereselected for the content block and the time the content block isdelivered to an audio server, the content block can be updated toreflect the updated preferences.

It will be appreciated that additional actions can be performed as partof method 200 without departing from its spirit and scope. For example,in the event that no usable priority media items are available, unpaidfill can be inserted into an under-filled content block prior todelivering the media content to the respective media servers as shown inblock 223. Likewise, although not specifically illustrated, if originalcontent is replaced with better content at block 227, the traffic systemcan be notified of the changes. Furthermore, a performance indicatorassociated with a consumed media item, such as an advertisement or song,can be included in a report back to the system once a media item in thecontent block has been consumed. In some cases once all or part of acontent block has been consumed, a performance indicator associated withthe content block as a whole can be delivered and used to assistdetermining which media items should be included in a particular contentblock.

Referring next to FIG. 3 a method 300 for use in a media traffic systemaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure will bediscussed. Method 300 begins as illustrated at block 305 with a mediatraffic system collecting bumped media items. In some embodiments, thebumped media items may be literally collected by storing the bumpedmedia items as files in a single physical location. Collection of bumpedmedia items can also be performed by storing a collection of pointers tothe bumped media items. In yet other embodiments, the bumped media itemscan be collected by storing a list, table, or other collection ofidentifiers associated with bumped media items. In at least someembodiments, collecting bumped media items includes marking, flagging,or otherwise identifying particular bumped media items as available foruse, or indicating that particular bumped media items have already beenselected for inclusion in a content block.

As illustrated by block 307, a media traffic system can periodically,aperiodically, or otherwise check to see if a request for availablepotential media items has been received from a media automation systemor otherwise. If no request has been received method 300 continues tocollect bumped media items and check for requests.

As illustrated by block 309, in response to a request for potentialmedia items, a media traffic system can begin selecting media items torespond to the automation system's request by choosing a particularbumped media item for consideration. As illustrated by block 311,characteristics of the bumped media item chosen for consideration can becompared to content block or other parameters to determine whether themedia item meets the criteria specified in the received request. In atleast some embodiments, the parameters can include a parameterindicating the media item's rate, a start and end time of the contentblock, space available to be filled within the content block, a contentblock identifier, other media items currently scheduled to play withinthe content block, or the like.

As illustrated by block 313, if a bumped media item chosen forconsideration satisfies the parameters supplied in conjunction with thereceived request, the media item can be marked as a potential mediaitem, for future delivery to a media automation system. As illustratedby block 314 a check can be made to determine if there are more mediaitems yet to be considered. If there are, method 300 returns to block309 and chooses another bumped media item for consideration. Thisprocess can continue iteratively until a designated number of potentialmedia items are identified, until there are no more media items to beconsidered, or until another stop condition is encountered.

As illustrated by block 315, media traffic system can rank the potentialmedia items prior to delivering them to a media automation system. Themedia items can be ranked based on the parameters provided inconjunction with the request, or in some embodiments based on anadvertising or other rate associated with the media item. In some suchembodiments, all potential media items in the collection of bumped mediaitems can be ranked so that the media item with the highest rate has thehighest rank, while the media item with the lowest rate has the lowestrank Ties in ranking based on the rate can be handled by making one ormore of the parameters received with the request a tie-breakingconsideration, or all media items having the same rate can be consideredto have the same rank Thus, in some embodiments it is possible that allpotential media items identified by a media traffic and billing systemwill have the same rank. In such a case, the potential media items canbe ordered alphabetically, using a first-in-first-out (FIFO) process, orusing another desired sorting mechanism.

As illustrated by block 317, potential media items can be delivered tothe media automation system. Delivery of the media items to theautomation system may include delivery of the log, delivery of physicalmedia files, delivery of the list, delivery of pointers, or delivery ofother information that will allow media automation system to obtain theidentified media items. In at least one embodiment, a log file includingidentifiers is delivered to the media automation system.

As illustrated by block 319, at some point after delivering thepotential media items to an automation system, a response can bereceived at the traffic system indicating which of the potential mediaitems have been chosen by the automation system for inclusion inunder-filled content blocks. The notification may include a change log,a list, pointers, or any other suitable mechanism to identify thepotential media items actually consumed.

As illustrated by block 321, in response to receiving an indication ofthe consumed media items, the identified media items can be removed fromthe collection of bumped media items. Removal from the collection ofbumped media items may include actual physical removal the file,changing of the pointer, setting or resetting a flag, or performing someother action allowing the media traffic system to identify which of thecollected bumped media items are no longer available, and should not beprovided in response to future media item requests. Additionally, theindication of the consumed spot or media content may include report backto the system on the performance of the commercial content once thecontent has been consumed.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a high-level block diagram of a processingsystem is illustrated and discussed. Processing system 400 includes oneor more central processing units, such as CPU A 405 and CPU B 407, whichmay be conventional microprocessors interconnected with various otherunits via at least one system bus 410. CPU A 405 and CPU B 407 may beseparate cores of an individual, multi-core processor, or individualprocessors connected via a specialized bus 411. In some embodiments, CPUA 405 or CPU B 407 may be a specialized processor, such as a graphicsprocessor, other co-processor, or the like.

Processing system 400 includes random access memory (RAM) 420; read-onlymemory (ROM) 415, wherein the ROM 415 could also be erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM) or electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM); and input/output (I/O) adapter425, for connecting peripheral devices such as disk units 430, opticaldrive 436, or tape drive 437 to system bus 410; a user interface adapter440 for connecting keyboard 445, mouse 450, speaker 455, microphone 460,or other user interface devices to system bus 410; communicationsadapter 465 for connecting processing system 400 to an informationnetwork such as the Internet or any of various local area networks, widearea networks, telephone networks, or the like; and display adapter 470for connecting system bus 410 to a display device such as monitor 475.Mouse 450 has a series of buttons 480, 485 and may be used to control acursor shown on monitor 475.

It will be understood that processing system 400 may include othersuitable data processing systems without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. For example, processing system 400 may include bulkstorage and cache memories, which provide temporary storage of at leastsome program code in order to reduce the number of times code must beretrieved from bulk storage during execution.

Various disclosed embodiments can be implemented in hardware, software,or a combination containing both hardware and software elements. In oneor more embodiments, the invention is implemented in software, whichincludes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode,etc. Some embodiments may be realized as a computer program product, andmay be implemented as a computer-usable or computer-readable mediumembodying program code for use by, or in connection with, a computer, aprocessor, or other suitable instruction execution system.

For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computerreadable medium can be any tangible apparatus that can contain, store,communicate, or transport the program for use by or in connection withan instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. By way ofexample, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise any ofvarious types of computer storage media, including volatile andnon-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anysuitable method or technology for storage of information such ascomputer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data. Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM,ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by a computer.

Various embodiments have been described for providing media items to beincluded in under-filled content blocks. Other variations andmodifications of the embodiments disclosed may be made based on thedescription provided, without departing from the scope of the inventionas set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method implemented using a media automationsystem, the method comprising: identifying an under-filled content blockusing a database server, wherein identifying the under-filled contentblock includes the database server receiving, from a cloud-basedapplication, a request for an available media item to be inserted intothe under-filled content block, the request identifying the under-filledcontent block; requesting a traffic and billing system to search acollection of priority media items to identify first media items forpotential inclusion in the under-filled content block; receiving amessage from the traffic and billing system identifying the first mediaitems; the database server responding to the message by: selecting atleast one media item of the first media items for insertion in theunder-filled content block; and transmitting a signal identifying the atleast one media item to the traffic and billing system.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: the media automation system working inconjunction with a cloud-based application to deliver personalizedcontent blocks.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the working inconjunction comprises: selecting the at least one media item based onlistener preferences received at the database server from the cloudbased application.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:removing a media item from a content block to create an under-filledcontent block; and transmitting a message to a traffic and billingsystem identifying the media item removed.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: replacing a perishable media item already includedin a content block with a more current perishable media item.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a request to a mediatraffic system requesting an available media item to be inserted intothe under-filled content block.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein therequest to the media traffic system comprises a request for commercialcontent and associated non-commercial media items to be transmittedbefore and after the commercial content.
 8. A media automation systemcomprising: a traffic and billing system configured to transmit amessage to a database server, the message identifying media itemsavailable for insertion in content blocks, wherein the media items areselected from a plurality of priority media items bumped from previouscontent blocks; the database server configured to: select one or more ofthe media items for insertion in particular content blocks of aplurality of different content blocks; transmit a signal to the trafficand billing system identifying the one or more of the media itemsselected; first and second audio servers configured to: receive a commonmedia program from the database server, wherein the common media programincludes a break during which various content blocks can be inserted;and receive, from the database server, different content blocks to beinserted in the common media program, wherein the first audio serverinserts a first content block into the break and the second audio serverinserts a second content block into the break.
 9. The media automationsystem of claim 8, wherein the database server is further configured to:receive, from a cloud-based application associated with a streamingaudio server, a request for an available media item to be inserted intoa streaming content block delivered to a media consumer via the cloudbased application, the request identifying the streaming content block.10. The media automation system of claim 9, wherein the database serveris further configured to: select an available media item to be insertedinto the streaming content block; and instruct the streaming audioservers to insert the available media item into the streaming contentblock.
 11. The media automation system of claim 10, wherein the databaseserver is further configured to: select the available media item basedon media consumer preferences received from the cloud based application.12. The media automation system of claim 8, wherein the database serveris further configured to: remove a media item from an existing contentblock to create an under-filled content block; and transmit a message tothe traffic and billing system identifying the media item removed. 13.The media automation system of claim 12, further comprising: replacing aperishable media item already included in the existing content blockwith a more current perishable media item.
 14. The media automationsystem of claim 8, wherein the message identifying media items availablefor insertion includes commercial content and associated non-commercialmedia items to be transmitted adjacent to the commercial content.
 15. Adatabase server comprising: a processor; memory operably associated withthe processor, the memory configured to store a program of instructionsto be executed by the processor, the program of instructions comprising:at least one instruction to work in conjunction with a cloud-basedapplication to deliver personalized content blocks; at least oneinstruction to identify an under-filled content block; at least oneinstruction to request a traffic and billing system to search acollection of priority media items to identify first media items forpotential inclusion in the under-filled content block; at least oneinstruction to receive a message from the traffic and billing systemidentifying the first media items; at least one instruction to select atleast one media item of the first media items for insertion in theunder-filled content block; and at least one instruction to transmit, tothe traffic and billing system, a signal identifying the at least onemedia item.
 16. The database server of claim 15, further comprising: acommunications interface configured to receive, from a cloud-basedapplication, a request for an available media item to be inserted intothe under-filled content block, wherein the request identifies theunder-filled content block.
 17. The database server of claim 15, furthercomprising: at least one instruction to replace a perishable media itemalready included in a content block with a more current perishable mediaitem.
 18. The database server of claim 15, further comprising: at leastone instruction to remove a media item from a content block to create anunder-filled content block; and at least one instruction to transmit amessage to a traffic and billing system identifying the media itemremoved.